Packages for surgical sutures are well known in the art. The packages may be conventional folder packages made from paperboard, or conventional molded or formed plastic packages having suture retaining channels. The packages must retain and protect the surgical needles during sterilization, shipping, handling, and storage. In addition, the sutures must be easily removable from the package by the surgeon or the surgeon's assistant.
Typically, most surgical sutures are sold having surgical needles mounted to one or both ends of the suture. Such surgical needle suture combinations are mounted or packaged in the above-described packages. However, for certain surgical procedures, such as the ligation of blood vessels, it is preferred to utilize surgical sutures which do not have surgical needles mounted to the ends thereof. Such sutures are conventionally mounted in packages known as ligating reels. These ligating reels typically have a reel member having a central opening, and a cover member having a central hub. Suture is wound onto the reel which is then rotatably mounted to the hub of the cover. Suture is removed from the reel by holding the cover while grasping and pulling a free suture end, thereby causing the reel to rotate as the suture is withdrawn. Typically, the lengths of the sutures packaged in ligating reels are longer than those packaged in other types of conventional suture packages. There are several reasons for packaging sutures in ligating reel packages, including ease of use when the surgeon is holding a reel during manual knot tying, and the ability to pull varying lengths of suture from the reel while knot tying.
As mentioned above, a conventional ligating reel package typically consists of a rotatable reel structure having a central opening. The reel is rotatably mounted to a cover member having a hub extending therefrom. The cover member houses the reel and protects the suture which has been previously mounted or wound onto the reel. The reel package may optionally be wrapped in desiccant paper, depending upon the moisture sensitivity of the suture material. The reel is then mounted in a conventional outer package and sterilized using a conventional sterilization process such as gas sterilization, radiation, autoclaving and the like.
Although conventional ligating reels are effective for their intended use, there are certain disadvantages attendant therewith. For example, the reel in some instances may be difficult to remove from its outer package. And, subsequent to removal, the reel may be difficult to firmly grasp because of its circular configuration, particularly with a wet, gloved hand. In addition, most ligating reels are relatively small and, accordingly, are difficult to label. Typically, the exterior package is labeled but not the ligating reel itself. This may result in an undesirable situation wherein the ligating reel, when separated from the outer packaging, is unlabelled.
Accordingly, there is a need in this art for improved ligating reel packages which overcome these deficiencies.